Something Fishy

Friday, November 22, 2013

Like many other people, I remember JFK’s assassination like it was yesterday.

I was a young reporter at the Terre Haute Tribune. The press room had just started the run for the final edition. The rest of the editorial staff left the office.

For some reason, (the kid - me) stuck around, and as I frequently did, I walked into the teletype room to check the wires. In those days all our national and international news came via teletype machines. When there was a bulletin, a bell sounded.

That’s just what happened. The United Press International wire had a one paragraph bulletin reporting the President had been shot.

I raced down the stairs and across the alley to the Bomber Bar and found Ned Bush, the wire editor, who was having a beer.

“Get back over there and tell the guys to stop the press,” he shouted.

The pressroom guys stopped the presses. Ned quickly assembled the early reportings from Helen Thomas in Dallas. (Helen grabbed the only mobile phone in the presidential media car and wouldn't share it with the other pool reporters. That's another story.)

Hot type was set, a new front page plate with the bulletin of the assassination was made, and a few minutes later the presses were running again.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Modern gun season for deer is almost here. It’s the time most hunters have been anxiously awaiting for nearly a year.

Some folks hunt because they like venison. Others take to the field because they love to see, hear and feel the woods coming alive at daylight from a deer stand, others talk about the challenge, and then there are the old-timers like me, who love deer camp. Bagging a deer is an extra.

Deer camp is special, and has both social and culinary aspects. The camp atmosphere may be better than the hunt itself. I suppose it is like the guys who go to the NASCAR race and never make it to their ticketed seat.

What hunters call deer camp varies widely. Some use the same cabin year-after-year. Others utilize campers, and still others set up tents. Many camps are quite simple, basically providing shelter, and others look like small tent or camper cities with many of the amenities of home

(Indiana’s firearms deer season opens Nov. 16 and runs through Dec. 1. Muzzleloader seasons is Dec. 7-22, and archery season has been underway since Oct. 1.)

(Kentucky’s firearms deer season opens Nov. 9 and runs through Nov. 24 in zones 1 & 2, and through Nov. 18 in zones 3 & 4. Archery season began Sept. 7 and continues through Jan. 20.)

Something that is a must at any camp is a campfire. A good fire starts with camp setup and may not go out until hunters are ready to head home. It provides warmth, a place to cook, relax and swap tales.

Many deer camps are long-standing tradition. Some are on private property, or located in campgrounds, or setup where permitted on public land, such as national forests. Many hunters establish their camp a week or two prior to the season opener to insure they have the same spot they have used for years.

Several generations have sat by the campfires, told stories, heard stories--some of them many times. The bucks get bigger, the mornings colder, and the shots longer and tougher. It’s part of what deer camp is about. Sure there is the anticipated hunt, however reliving hunts from the past is a part of the experience.

My favorite aspect of deer camp is food--the eating. In most camps, the night before the season opener is a feast. I’d rather get an invite to eat than to hunt.

Some people who harvest a deer early in camp, fry tenderloins or venison steaks. Some make strew with the fresh meat. That’s also a real treat. Another camp favorite is deer chili. The same chili recipe is also makes a great meal for the evening before Thanksgiving.

Here are the suggested ingredients and recipe:

3 1/2 lbs. deer chuck roast

1 (1 lb.) can tomatoes

1 c. chopped onion

1 can chili beans

2 tsp. chili powder

1 lg can tomato juice

1/2 c. diced green pepper

Rice (cook separately)

Cut meat into one inch strips. (You call can use deer burger) Roll strips in flour, and brown in skillet. Put in slow cooker or crock pot. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, onion, chili powder, soup, chili beans, and green pepper. Set on low to low-medium heat setting for about six hours. Serve with rice, or with crackers, cheese and pickles, or whatever you prefer.

Deer camps come in all shapes and sizes and are an important part of the opening weekend for many hunters.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Fishing slow vs. fast. Pro angler Mark Davis makes a case for slow, and his tournament results make his case.

During the final Bassmaster® Elite Series tournament of 2013 in Detroit, Mark finished second with a four-day catch of 76 pounds, 13 ounces, all from a spot on Lake Erie the Yamaha Pro had never fished before. His secret? Fishing slowly and thoroughly

It works at a small lake like Indian, the Ohio River embayments, or Patoka Lake, according to Mark.

“What I did on Lake Erie to find those fish is the same thing I do on smaller bodies of water, and what I tell fishermen in my seminars to do wherever they’re fishing,” Davis emphasizes.

“Start by looking for a place where the bass will spawn. This is true anytime of year, for both largemouth and smallmouth, and it’s easy to do, said Mark in an interview provided by the Yamaha media folks.

“Lake maps as well as your GPS system will show you these types of places. For Lake Erie smallmouth I looked for shoals, or underwater rock piles and ridges, but for largemouth you can find large coves that offer shallow water and cover, along with access to deeper water.

“The fish you’re looking for may not necessarily be on these shallow flats or the rock piles, but they won’t be far away. I simply use these types of places as starting spots when I’m looking for fish.”

“While maps and electronics may show a general area, they rarely reveal any specific details of the features that lie below the surface,” continues the Yamaha Pro, “so the only way to learn those details is by fishing.” This is exactly how Davis approached other tournament stops during the 2013 Elite season, including Bull Shoals, West Point, and the Mississippi River.

“Once you choose an area like this, which I think needs to include not only shallow water but also nearby deep water, as well as some type of cover like rocks, wood, or vegetation, I think the key is fishing slowly and thoroughly to learn it.

“Some of these spots may be 100 or 200 yards long, and on a really big body of water like Lake Erie, the smallmouth shoals may be half a mile in length. You have to fish these places carefully because the bass may only be using a small part of it.

“I have made the mistake of pulling up to a spot and fishing for an hour without getting a strike, then leaving, only to learn later I didn’t fish carefully enough and went right by a school of bass. Smallmouth, especially, do not always bite all day long, so you have to stay long enough and fish the water thoroughly.”

Another part of locating bass is figuring out how they want a lure presented. In deeper water like Lake Erie, Davis used a drop shot rig, but on other lakes he frequently changes to a crankbait because he can cover more water faster.

Sometimes bass want a lure moving slowly along the bottom, other times they may prefer a lure moving more erratically. In deeper water, drifting a lure may even be more effective than casting

“You can literally be all over a school of bass and still miss them by a mile,” laughs the three-time B.A.S.S.® Angler of the Year and 1995 Bassmaster Classic® champion. “That’s why you can’t let yourself get discouraged if you do go for an hour without getting a strike.

“Keep trying different presentations and trying to learn what’s down there on the bottom. Always remember that bass like cover and deep water close to shallow water. The advantage that starting close to a shallow spawning area offers is that you can easily keep fishing your way into deeper water, and eventually you’ll find them.”

“When you look out over a big lake you’ve never seen before, it can be an intimidating experience,” admits the Yamaha Pro, “so having a basic starting point is really an important confidence builder. I like spawning areas because they’re the one place I know bass use, and normally they aren’t that far away. All I have to do is take my time and fish carefully.”